We were founded in 1998 as a drug intervention service and now provide specialist housing, 1-2-1 and group support for people with histories of mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness and offending. Our support includes provision of transitional supported housing for people readying themselves for independent living. We have strong partnerships across the secure estate and probation, health and social care services, social welfare advice and grassroots community groups across North Merseyside, centred on Bootle. Our main aims remain the development of positive outcomes with and for people facing severe and multiple disadvantage including improved resilience and mental wellbeing, reduced dependence on substances, reduced offending and improved housing stability. Beyond housing, we support development of a wider ‘lived experience’ community for people facing extreme problems in South Sefton. This includes a volunteer-led Food Pantry, support for Fellowship groups, range of micro-projects, and an integrated employability programme - building confidence and skills.
Our project has two main activities, both of which are focused on dealing with the challenges of mental ill-health amongst people who have faced extreme and complex forms of social exclusion.
Firstly, we address a specific systemic problem in our area that people who are experiencing ‘dual diagnosis’ are facing. Many of our members have histories that include long-term mental ill-health problems (from low-level but enduring anxiety-depression to serious and complex conditions including managed personality disorders). Unsurprisingly, many of the same people have long histories of substance misuse, with the relationship with mental ill-health being complex and bi-directional. Locally, we find that our members with these characteristics get caught in a ‘loop’. Mental health services (including crisis services) will often refuse to treat someone with a known history of substance misuse if they present with any signs of ongoing use or without some form of evidence that they are clean. Substance misuse services will then often refuse to support someone who they deem to be experiencing a mental health crisis (risk to other users/staff/themselves) until they have received mental health support. Catch-22. We work with members who are in this position, providing intensive advocacy support and confidence building support for the individual. The aim is to strengthen their ‘voice’ AND to raise awareness within services locally of the loop and its impact. An additional outcome for us is to enable individuals to improve their understanding of the health systems that are in place at local levels to enable them to make progress elsewhere if they move areas and experience the same problem.
Secondly, we will offer a wider mental health and wellbeing programme based on the development of our grounds as a community garden. This will be offered to local people facing severe and complex forms of exclusion (mental ill-health, substance misuse, homelessness, criminogenic histories).
